God

Surya

सूर्य

The Sun God — Source of Light, Life, and Health

Attributes

Color

Red / Copper

Day

Sunday

Direction

East

Symbol

Sun disk, Chariot with 7 horses

Weapon

None (radiates light)

Vahana

Seven-horsed chariot (driven by Aruna)

Consort

Sanjna (also Chhaya)

Iconography

Depicted with two hands holding lotus flowers, a sun disk behind his head, riding a chariot drawn by seven horses (representing the seven colors of light and the seven days of the week). Driven by the charioteer Aruna (the red dawn). Sometimes shown with four hands holding a lotus, a conch, a discus, and a mace (Surya Narayana form).

The Story

Surya is the Sun God — the visible form of the divine, worshipped since Vedic times. According to the Puranas, Surya is the son of Sage Kashyapa and Aditi (the mother of the gods). He rides a chariot drawn by seven horses (representing the seven rays of light, the seven days, the seven chakras) driven by Aruna (the dawn, brother of Garuda). His two wives are Sanjna (daughter of Vishwakarma) and Chhaya (Sanjna's shadow). His children include Yama (god of death), Yamuna (the river goddess), the Ashwini Kumaras (divine physicians), Shani (Saturn), and Manu (the first man). According to legend, Sanjna, unable to bear Surya's intense radiance, fled to the earth in the form of a mare, leaving her shadow Chhaya in her place. When Surya discovered the deception, he reduced his radiance (by Vishwakarma shaving off part of his brilliance), allowing Sanjna to return. Surya is one of the Navagraha (nine planets) and is worshipped for health, vitality, and spiritual illumination. The Surya Namaskara (12 yoga postures saluting the sun) is performed at sunrise as both a physical and spiritual practice.

Significance

Surya is one of the most ancient Hindu deities — worshipped since the Rig Veda as the source of light, life, and health. He is the only deity that can be seen directly — making his worship uniquely accessible. Surya is invoked at sunrise through the Surya Namaskara (12 yoga postures), the Gayatri Mantra (revealed to Sage Vishwamitra), and the Aditya Hridayam (taught by sage Agastya to Rama before his battle with Ravana). He is one of the Navagraha (nine planets) — the only one who is not a deity in the traditional sense, but the actual celestial body. Surya worship is believed to cure skin diseases, improve eyesight, grant vitality, and bring prosperity. The famous Konark Sun Temple (Odisha) is shaped like Surya's chariot, with 12 pairs of wheels and 7 horses. The festival of Makar Sankranti (when the sun enters Capricorn) and Chhath Puja (worship of the setting and rising sun) are the most important Surya festivals.